Tangled Webs
by Lolth the Spider Queen
Summary: Transformers Prime-When Optimus Prime returns restored to his former self after the events of Darkmount there is something off about his story. What is he hiding from them, why does his form flicker sometimes and why does he disappear for stretches of time? Well Smokescreen is going to find out!


**_A/N: Hey, this nugget popped into my head and I thought what the heck, don't know how much I'm gonna update but will see! Please enjoy this prologue!_**

_Prologue_

The night had finally settled over the Nevada desert, the stars and moon out on display as a lone semi truck sped silently down an empty road. It was the same path he took every time, every couple of weeks just coming in to check up on them.

Of course it wasn't just a check up, he also wanting to know how their missions were going as communicating more than what they did now was forbidden as to keep the others off their trail. He wished he could just tell them, so that they could come with him and so that he could protect them.

But, none of them would understand, much less Arcee of all bots.

So, here he was, approaching a large sinkhole in the earth, blocked off by warning signs telling humans to stay away.

He transformed and by passed the warnings to look down the dark hole in the ground. He didn't need to be promented or even worry about what was down there, he just simply jumped, like so many times before.

Optimus fell from quite a distance before landing in a bed of soft, elastic material. As soon as he stopped moving, it wrapped around him and pulled him to another dark hole in the side of the pit.

It pulled him through until he was upside down, and looking into the cheerful optics of his youngest.

"Sire! You're finally here!" She said as she quickly unwrapped him and allowing him to right himself back onto the ground with the help of her four arms.

She hopped down in front of the Prime standing tall, but only reaching up to just below his chest.

Like her Carrier she was a insecticon 'spider', as she resembled the Earth creatures really well. She had brilliantly bright purple optics that were completely solid like her Carrier. Her armor was sleek with the colors of hot pink with hints of purple and black. Her two horns that mimicked her Carrier's were incomplete, one broken off with dangling cords behind them pink and purple as well. Her wheels rested in her shoulders and back, finally her halberd rested on her back as well.

"Sorry it took so long, Ravonne, but there is a lot of work to be done." He said, hoping the excuse would be accepted by the youngest triplet.

She smiled brightly, "It's alright Sire, we waited thousands of years for your arrival here, we can wait even longer!"

He always felt bad about that, but to her it was a feat to be proud of.

It was at this time that her older and other sister arrived.

Unlike her sister, she was slightly taller than Ravonne. Her colors were red, black and purple. But the red was mostly from the web decals on her armor and the red optics she bore. Unlike her Carrier, she had three horns with all three of her tires on her back. Daggers littered her form, some probable hidden from view.

But what made her really different from her sister was she always was in her spider mode, which was her lower half that transformed only giving her a half cybertronian, half spider look even more so.

"Sire, you would not believe how annoying Ravonne got when you didn't show up on time." She proddy the younger who simply scowled.

Optimus smiled, "Again, I apologize for the wait, Lolth."

"Accepted."

It was then that the last and oldest of the triplets entered the room.

He was as tall as his Sire, easily dwarfing his younger sisters. His colors were dark blue, black and purple with his optics a cold blue. He bore no horns but a helmet that parcel covered his face in order to hide his extra optics which totaled eight. He had heavy cannons mounted onto both arms with gauntlet gloves shifted down.

What gave him his height is that unlike his sister Lolth who preferred her spider mode, he had no spider mode. His lower body was always six spider like appendages to them. With no abdomen unlike his sister.

He also bore the scars of his Carrier, more so than his sisters.

Optimus gave a nod to his oldest, "Anansi, it's good to see you doing better."

The eldest smiled, "Well, a little Energon explosion won't kill me that easily."

Optimus sighed, "I will never stop worrying about you all."

Ravonne giggled, "Oh don't worry so much, we can handle ourselves!"

"I know, but a Sire will always worry." He rubbed her helm she playfully batted him away. "Now, let's get down to it, shall we?"

As Optimus watched his three children fall asleep he couldn't help but remember the day he found them. Only it was back on Cybertron, just after he became a Prime.

When he found them exhausted and wounded on the edge of Iacon, he took pity, not knowing at that time that they were his.

Later when they told him, he was sparkbroken.

Not only did his love survive her fall into the Insecticon hive, but she became a twisted version of herself and then inflicted harm onto their children….it was hard for him to process.

But, he knew what he had to do.

Finally he created the bond between a Sire and his children and for the first time, he felt complete.

Smiling, he quietly left the room, knowing that they were safe. He climbed to the top and transformed, heading back towards the base, knowing that not only were they okay, but that their missions were going well.

He couldn't be more proud.

And yet, he still felt pity for their current forms. That is why he carried a toxin, the same toxin that created their carrier and thus them into what they are today. For if he ever found himself near death, he promised himself he would take it, not only to save himself, but to come to understand the pain of his children a little better.

And that time came sooner than he expected.

There he laid, alone underneath the destroyed base.

Smokescreen gone to look for supplies or something, he didn't know.

But he knew that the Allspark was calling and he knew what he had to do.

Taking the toxin he stabbed the syringe into his chest, hoping to get as much in as his leaking form could. Soon, everything became dull and the world went black.

Before his vision faded though, he could see three forms coming from the shadows with looks of shock on their young faces.

When Smokescreen returned, Optimus was gone.

He looked everywhere but only found a syringe with a little bit of strange liquid left in it.

The next time he woke up he felt different, no pain yet a soreness throughout his systems. He sat up, realizing that he wasn't lying on his back but his chest. He looked down to see he no longer had two legs but rather eight, as his lower half was transformed into a metallic spider with a large abdomen that had the symbol of the Autobots imprinted on it's top.

His upper body was sleek and strong, with claws and fangs, four poisonous green optics and his helm, now almost as it was cracked and sprouting long black cords behind him. His entire frame was coated in black, green and twinges of red and blue, the barest reminders of what he used to be.

"You're awake…" Optimus turned to see Lolth, but strangely she was in her bipedal form.

"Lolth...what's the matter?"

She scowled, "Why? Why did you turn yourself into a monster?"

He was shocked at her reaction, "I've always felt responsible for what happened to all of you, I made the toxin so that when I was near death, not only would I have something to save me but I could come to understand your suffering ...you see yourself as a monster?"

She looked away, "Something like that, but you didn't have to do that, there could've been another way."

"No, there wasn't. The Allspark was calling me, I had to act quickly."

She looked back to him in shock before crumbling into his arms sobbing, the emotional toll rarely shown by the very controlled spider. They sat there for awhile before finally making it to the others, who had the same reactions.

In the end the siblings were grateful for one thing, now their Sire could really see what it meant to be like them.

* * *

It had been a couple of months since his transformation, in that time he had mastered his new form. As well to fight in his current form, the siblings taught him different uses for the webbing and they also found out about his special gift.

Each of them had one thing that others couldn't replicate. Their Carrier had tracking sensors unlike her children. Anansi had the gift of strength, being able to literally carry or lift anything. Lolth had the gift of a hypnotic stare, freezing her prey on place. And Ravonne had the gift of teleportation, any place she has seen in detail, she can pop there, her favorite is popping behind bots.

Optimus took some time until one day it revealed itself. He had the ability to create illusions, he had to focus on them but it was nothing the Prime had done before. He could even create illusions on himself, making him look like his old self.

"I could use this." He said to his children who were all sitting on the web in a room that was equivalent to a dining room for a human.

"To sneak back into the Autobots?" Lolth was one step ahead of him.

"Correct."

"But," Ravonne said, "Don't you like it here, with us?"

She gave her best puppy eyes and he laughed,

"Of course I do, but Megatron is still a large threat to this world, to you. I want to take him down before he causes any more harm."

Anansi nodded, "That is understandable sire, just ...be careful this time?"

"Of course, and when this is all over I will spend every waking moment with you." He promised, each sibling agreed and soon he had to leave.

Saying goodbye was hard for the Prime, but it had to be done.

But now he needed a good cover story, for his Autobots no doubt have questions.

It was easy to take down Darkmount, by sneaking his way in while they fought he destroyed the core to the cannons, and soon the whole place collapsed, him only barely making it out.

When the dust settled, he could see his Autobots standing their amazed at their leaders come back.

They were excited and Smokescreen confused.

He explained it away as him being dragged away by some unknown entity and being dropped into a pool of healing energon. Only emerging now fully healed, to stop them from looking for it he said it collapsed behind him when he left, so they relented in their hopes of searching for it.

They bought it and started to make their way back to the new base.

But what the Prime didn't see was Smokescreen, who stared into the back of the Prime, with suspicious optics.


End file.
